141st largest plant in Arizona · 9100th nationally
University Of Arizona - Biosphere 2 is a natural gas power plant in Arizona with a nameplate capacity of 3.1 MW. It generates roughly 118 MWh per year — enough to power about 11 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 4097 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | University Of Arizona - Biosphere 2 |
|---|---|
| Operator | University Of Arizona - Biosphere 2 |
| City | Oracle |
| County | Pinal County |
| State | Arizona |
| ZIP | 85623 |
| Coordinates | 32.57801, -110.85261 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-4 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 1.6 MW | Standby | 2000 |
| G-1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.5 MW | Standby | 1990 |
| CO₂ | 242 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 5 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 4097 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Western Area Power Administration - Desert Southwest Region |
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.